Page 1078 - ANNA KARENINA

Anna Karenina

calling the servants. I’m not strong enough. Can you?’ she
said to Marya Nikolaevna.
‘I’m afraid not,’ answered Marya Nikolaevna.
Terrible as it was to Levin to put his arms round that

terrible body, to take hold of that under the quilt, of
which he preferred to know nothing, under his wife’s
influence he made his resolute face that she knew so well,
and putting his arms into the bed took hold of the body,
but in spite of his own strength he was struck by the
strange heaviness of those powerless limbs. While he was
turning him over, conscious of the huge emaciated arm
about his neck, Kitty swiftly and noiselessly turned the
pillow, beat it up and settled in it the sick man’s head,
smoothing back his hair, which was sticking again to his
moist brow.
The sick man kept his brother’s hand in his own. Levin
felt that he meant to do something with his hand and was
pulling it somewhere. Levin yielded with a sinking heart:
yes, he drew it to his mouth and kissed it. Levin, shaking
with sobs and unable to articulate a word, went out of the
room.

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